The massive 8.0-magnitude Wenchuan Earthquake triggered huge landslides, avalanches, and debris flows that blocked rivers and created 34 important quake lakes, including the Tangjiashan Quake Lake on the Tongkou River. More than half of these lakes were identified to be of moderate or high hazard levels, so activities needed to be undertaken for hazard mitigation of potential flooding. This paper presents the mitigation processes of quake lake hazards, which involve various techniques such as rapid hazard analysis, scenario-based mitigation planning, and real-time forecasting of outburst flooding for implementation actions. The shortage of hydrologic and geological data and the nature of emergency situations raise substantial challenges in the hazard mitigation of quake lakes. This paper suggests a potential approach in dealing with quake lake hazards, which integrates the automatic monitoring network, hydrologic models, and hydrodynamic models with a comprehensive indicator for hazard levels. The necessity of improving the integrated methodology is highlighted.

Macroscopic modeling of soils is based on a number of properties that refer to the mesoscopic morphology. The most fundamental parameters of this art are: 1) coupling parameters between partial stresses of components and deformations of components, 2) porosities, 3) saturation, and 4) permeability and diffusivity, tortuosity.

The main aim of this paper is to present in juxtaposition continuous one-, two-, and three-component models of geomaterials appearing in construction of embankment dams. In particular, the above mentioned features, especially saturation with water and seepage problems, modeling of fluidization yielding piping, and generalizations of the Darcy law and changes of porosity, are presented.

A numerical study is conducted to investigate the dynamic behavior of earth dams. The numerical investigation employs a fully nonlinear dynamic finite difference analysis incorporating a simple elastic perfectly plastic constitutive model to describe the stress-strain response of the soil and the Rayleigh damping to increase the level of hysteretic damping. The extended Masing rules are implemented into the constitutive model to explain more accurately the soil response under general cyclic loading. The soil stiffness and hysteretic damping change with loading history. The procedures for calibrating the constructed numerical model with centrifuge test data and also a real case history are explained. For the latter, the Long Valley (LV) earth dam subjected to the 1980 Mammoth Lake earthquake as a real case-history is analyzed and the obtained numerical results are compared with the real measurements at the site in both the time and frequency domains. Relatively good agreement is observed between computed and measured quantities. It seems that the Masing rules combined with a simple elasto-plastic model gives reasonable numerical predictions. Afterwards, a comprehensive parametric study is carried out to identify the effects of dam height, input motion characteristics, soil behavior, strength of the shell materials and dam reservoir condition on the dynamic response of earth dams. Three real earthquake records with different levels and peak acceleration values (PGAs) are used as input motions. The results show that the crest acceleration decreases when the dam height increases and no amplification is observed. Further, more inelastic behavior and more earthquake energy absorption are observed in higher dams.

Many problems are linked with the long-term behavior of both earthdams and concrete dams. They range from hydraulic fracturing to alkali-silica reaction (ASR) and to repair work in concrete dams, from seismic behavior to secondary consolidation in earthdams. A common framework for the simulation of such systems is shown, based on the mechanics of multiphase porous media. The general model is particularized to specific situations and several examples are shown.

A coupled solid-fluid FE-model for partially saturated soils, characterized by modeling the soil as a three-phase material consisting of a deformable soil skeleton and the fluid phases water and air, is reviewed briefly. As a constitutive model for the soil skeleton, the well-known Barcelona Basic model (BBM) is employed, which is formulated in terms of net stress and matric suction. For the BBM, a computationally efficient return mapping algorithm is proposed, which only requires the solution of a scalar nonlinear equation at the integration point level. The coupled FE-model is applied to the coupled transient numerical simulation of the water flow and the deformations and stresses in an embankment dam.

This paper demonstrates the difficulties in determining the relevant material parameters for a valuation of the deformation behavior of the up- and downstream dam shell by means of an embankment dam of medium height. Laboratory as well as field tests on solid rock-fill material were performed before the beginning of construction. During the construction the properties of the available rock-fill changed from solid to soft materials. This gave rise to the necessity of adjusting the dam design of the downstream dam shoulder. Several times higher dam settlements as well as significant differential settlements between the up- and downstream dam shell were observed during construction and operation. Apart from this situation, the dam has been operated for nearly 20 years and the behavior of the water barrier has been very good.

Upper Gotvand Dam is constructed on the Karun River at the south west of Iran. In this paper, 2D and 3D models of the dam together with the foundation and abutments were established, and several seepage analyses were carried out. Then, the gypsum veins that are scattered throughout the foundation ground were included in the models, and the seepage pattern, considering the dissolution law of gypsum, was analyzed. It was disclosed that the discharge fluxes obtained from 2D and 3D analyses are not similar, and the discharge flux in 3D model is about four times that of the 2D model. Also, the 3D model locates the phreatic surface somewhat higher than the 2D model. This means that the 2D model estimates lower pore water pressure pattern in comparison with the 3D model. These may be attributed to the fact that with 2D model the lateral components of vectors of seepage velocity are ignored. In the current case, the rate of increase of discharge flux due to dissolution of gypsum veins was obtained to be a third-order function of the aperture width. In spite of the fact that the grout curtain is designed to be about 170 m deep, however, complete dissolve of gypsum will severely increase the discharge flux through the foundation ground.

Safety assessment of the 62 m high Sance Rockfill Dam based on long-term monitoring results and their simulation by numerical models is presented in the paper. Unexpectedly large settlements and horizontal movements of the crest together with the steep downstream slope questioned the safety of the dam. Calibrated 2D and 3D models fitting the monitoring results were applied for the safety assessment of the dam including slope stability analysis and estimation of the clay core cracking and hydraulic fracturing hazard. The modeling results contributed to the rehabilitation concept and project of the dam.

Dam constructions worldwide are designed and constructed in view of the strictest safety aspects for all static and dynamic load cases. As experience shows, however, formation of cracks in the “homogeneos concrete” as well as unsatisfactory compound behavior of lift joints are not to be excluded. These zones of weakness especially on the upstream side of the dam— exposed to high water pressure (static and dynamic)— represent an increased risk of safety. The main investigation, apart from the computation of the dynamic effects on the dam as a global structure, focuses on the stability analysis of a pressure-water filled crack configuration subjected to “dynamic loading” in the form of seismic action on the dam-reservoir-system and alternatively by “impact spot-loading” within sectors of the reservoir. A fracture mechanics based analysis shows an excessive potential of damage for the afflicted structure.

The dam heightening, which is an effective way to increase reservoir volume, has been paid close attention by engineers. Three problems should be dealt with when an arch dam needs to be heightened: stress state getting worse at dam heel, cracking on new added concrete dam surface, and weak bonding between new added concrete and old dam. Taking Geba arch dam as an example, these problems are examined in details through simulation analysis by the finite element method. The tensile stresses on dam’s surface and joint face that have certain relations to the dam heightening can be controlled by some measures.

Taking account of the fuzzy results of the seepage monitoring analysis of roller compacted concrete (RCC) dam and uncertainties of the individual indicator evaluation, the fuzzy matter-element model of seepage monitoring of RCC dam analysis has been established with the use of the fuzzy matter-element analysis theory and the concept of euclid approach degree. The use of entropy theory can calculate the weighting factor through the disorder utility values of the information reflected by the data itself, which can effectively avoid the problems of weight distribution and uncertainties of subjective judgments of the seepage monitoring analysis of roller compacted concrete dam. And further the example shows that the analysis of entropy-based fuzzy matter-element analysis model of the seepage monitoring of roller compacted concrete dam is in accordance with the actual situation, which verifies the effectiveness of the method.

A novel damage assessment method based on the decay ratio of acceleration signals (DRAS) was proposed. Two experimental tests were used to show the efficiency. Three beams were gradually damaged, and then the changes of dynamic parameters were monitored from initial to failure state. In addition, a new method was compared with the linear modal-based damage assessment using wavelet transform (WT). The results clearly show that DRAS increases in linear elasticity state and microcrack propagation state, while DRAS decreases in macrocrack propagation state. Preliminary analysis was developed considering the beat phenomenon in the nonlinear state to explain the turn point of DRAS. With better sensibility of damage than modal parameters, probably DRAS is a promising damage indicator in damage assessment.